What is "Fear of the Lord"? Are we supposed to be scared of God and what He tells us or does of us? Are we supposed to live our lives to please Him because if we don't He'll punish us?
(For the sake of confusion, I will bold the Fear of the Lord when I mean the fear I am talking about, not literal fear)
This question came up in a Bible Study I lead called TEAM. Many of my leader-helpers were involved in this discussion as well and agreed amongst themselves that the "Fear of the Lord" means to honor and respect God, tasol. That's it. No more. When I tried to mention my beliefs, though, it was hard for me to get anywhere because I did not know how to explain it.
Years ago, I heard a Pastor explain that "Fear of the Lord" means literal fear. Not as far out as others should be, such as shaking just thinking about God, but a healthy fear of the Lord. But how could I prove this to anyone without knowing where, when, or any more details about how I heard it? So, I made it my goal to talk to respected Christian adults in my life to get their answers on this question- this question that means a lot to me. I mean, the Bible mentions the phrase 'fear of the Lord' hundreds of times. But, how many of those are talking about those who aren't saved (who are more likely to understand real fear of the Lord, which is not the kind I am talking about) and how many are talking about those who fear God, but are already 'on the winning side' as my Pastor likes to say?
When I specifically asked my mom what "fear of the Lord" meant and if it was a literal fear, she pointed me towards Moses. In the Old Testament, it is harder to determine, in my opinion, who was a "Christian" (which, fun fact, means little Jesus) or is not. But, Moses clearly submitted to what God had for him, and he was an Israelite (which does not automatically make you a 'Christian', but in those times the foreign nations would be more likely to fear (literal) or mock the Israelites God. It just means that Moses was a likely candidate to fear God in the terms I am talking about). Yet, Moses shook when he walked up to the burning bush. This man, though demonstrating the fear of the Lord, was not simply just honoring and respecting God. There was emotion involved.
When I asked one of my Professors, he was able to give a good answer. The example my Professor chose to use was that of Jonah. In just the first chapter, fear was mentioned multiple times, but with four different types of fear. Two to three of them apply to literal fear. Depending on the context, we can know which fear is being used. Jonah was running away from God, which is an indication of fear. He did not honor nor respect God at this point, so his fear is not related to the fear of the Lord that I am focusing on this lesson. In this specific story, these sailors were experienced. Their whole lives were lived on the water. If there was a problem in the water that these men could not handle, no one could. Yet, they were really struggling during this storm. It was not like any other they had ever been in. When they ask Jonah who he was in these dire times, he used the phrase "I fear the Lord". He means "this is the God I worship". This term can best be explained by people today saying "I am a Christian". Many do not mean it when they say it, and Jonah is one of them. While this fear of the Lord should be a representation of the real fear of the Lord, it is not. They are just words for Jonah at this point- maybe heritage? At first, the men were afraid of the storm. Then, they became afraid of the God who made the storm- they are literally afraid. They are showing concern for Jonah and they do not at first throw him over because they are afraid of what Jonah's God would do to them because they murdered one of his prophets. The third use of the word fear in this one chapter (Chapter 1 of Jonah) is the fear of the Lord that corresponds to the fear of the Lord in Deuteronomy and Proverbs: the sailors offer a thanksgiving offering and offer praise to God. This is a show of awe to the God of the Universe.
So, while I never wanted to deny that fear of the Lord is not respect or honor, it is way more than just that. It is not being scared, because we don't have to be (which I understood before as well), but awe. It is a slight mix, but the best way to explain it is awe.
It is like being scared you will fail God, not because of the punishment (even though we will be punished) but because we know that we would have messed up and not honored or brought glory to our Creator and Savior who deserves all honor and glory and power. You can't be fearing God and running from him at the same time. Fear of the Lord is being overwhelmed with all that God has done for you, that you want to praise and honor Him.
I am sure I did not persuade all, or maybe any of you from changing your opinion on the matter and I respect that. I guess it is not too big of a deal in the long run, but I think it is important for me to understand.
(For the sake of confusion, I will bold the Fear of the Lord when I mean the fear I am talking about, not literal fear)
This question came up in a Bible Study I lead called TEAM. Many of my leader-helpers were involved in this discussion as well and agreed amongst themselves that the "Fear of the Lord" means to honor and respect God, tasol. That's it. No more. When I tried to mention my beliefs, though, it was hard for me to get anywhere because I did not know how to explain it.
Years ago, I heard a Pastor explain that "Fear of the Lord" means literal fear. Not as far out as others should be, such as shaking just thinking about God, but a healthy fear of the Lord. But how could I prove this to anyone without knowing where, when, or any more details about how I heard it? So, I made it my goal to talk to respected Christian adults in my life to get their answers on this question- this question that means a lot to me. I mean, the Bible mentions the phrase 'fear of the Lord' hundreds of times. But, how many of those are talking about those who aren't saved (who are more likely to understand real fear of the Lord, which is not the kind I am talking about) and how many are talking about those who fear God, but are already 'on the winning side' as my Pastor likes to say?
When I specifically asked my mom what "fear of the Lord" meant and if it was a literal fear, she pointed me towards Moses. In the Old Testament, it is harder to determine, in my opinion, who was a "Christian" (which, fun fact, means little Jesus) or is not. But, Moses clearly submitted to what God had for him, and he was an Israelite (which does not automatically make you a 'Christian', but in those times the foreign nations would be more likely to fear (literal) or mock the Israelites God. It just means that Moses was a likely candidate to fear God in the terms I am talking about). Yet, Moses shook when he walked up to the burning bush. This man, though demonstrating the fear of the Lord, was not simply just honoring and respecting God. There was emotion involved.
When I asked one of my Professors, he was able to give a good answer. The example my Professor chose to use was that of Jonah. In just the first chapter, fear was mentioned multiple times, but with four different types of fear. Two to three of them apply to literal fear. Depending on the context, we can know which fear is being used. Jonah was running away from God, which is an indication of fear. He did not honor nor respect God at this point, so his fear is not related to the fear of the Lord that I am focusing on this lesson. In this specific story, these sailors were experienced. Their whole lives were lived on the water. If there was a problem in the water that these men could not handle, no one could. Yet, they were really struggling during this storm. It was not like any other they had ever been in. When they ask Jonah who he was in these dire times, he used the phrase "I fear the Lord". He means "this is the God I worship". This term can best be explained by people today saying "I am a Christian". Many do not mean it when they say it, and Jonah is one of them. While this fear of the Lord should be a representation of the real fear of the Lord, it is not. They are just words for Jonah at this point- maybe heritage? At first, the men were afraid of the storm. Then, they became afraid of the God who made the storm- they are literally afraid. They are showing concern for Jonah and they do not at first throw him over because they are afraid of what Jonah's God would do to them because they murdered one of his prophets. The third use of the word fear in this one chapter (Chapter 1 of Jonah) is the fear of the Lord that corresponds to the fear of the Lord in Deuteronomy and Proverbs: the sailors offer a thanksgiving offering and offer praise to God. This is a show of awe to the God of the Universe.
So, while I never wanted to deny that fear of the Lord is not respect or honor, it is way more than just that. It is not being scared, because we don't have to be (which I understood before as well), but awe. It is a slight mix, but the best way to explain it is awe.
It is like being scared you will fail God, not because of the punishment (even though we will be punished) but because we know that we would have messed up and not honored or brought glory to our Creator and Savior who deserves all honor and glory and power. You can't be fearing God and running from him at the same time. Fear of the Lord is being overwhelmed with all that God has done for you, that you want to praise and honor Him.
I am sure I did not persuade all, or maybe any of you from changing your opinion on the matter and I respect that. I guess it is not too big of a deal in the long run, but I think it is important for me to understand.
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